Cathedral in Norway believed to have been built over Viking settlement
“What we have found is the bones of a pig, which has clearly been thrown on the spot with meat and skin intact," said Sean Denham from the UiS.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFUpdated: JUNE 8, 2021 13:50Viking overlooking the Strindfjord and Munkholmen.(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Archaeologists have unearthed further evidence that the Stavanger Cathedral in Norway was built over top of a Viking settlement dating back to the early 11th century CE, possibly beforehand.An excavation conducted by the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU), together with the Archaeological Museum (UiS) and the University of Stavanger, found animal bones in the northern section of the cathedral while searching a crawl space underneath the structure, according to the NIKU.“What we have found is the bones of a pig, which has clearly been thrown on the spot with meat and skin intact," said Sean Denham from the UiS, according to Heritage Daily.The excavation is being carried out as part of the restoration of the cathedral ahead of it's 900 anniversary in 2025.Additionally, archaeologists found medieval grave sites, crafted out of wooden remains, textiles and medieval building materials.Researchers believe the new findings could assist in figuring out "unanswered questions in Norwegian medieval research," including the Christianization of the country and the development of cities across the country during the early Middle Ages.According to Heritage Daily, the animal remains reaffirm previous hypotheses from an excavation in 1968 that purports the cathedral was built on inhabited lands, which goes against historical records. In the 1968 excavation, archaeologists found charred wood believing to have belonged to a wooden structure built before the cathedral was founded.The Stavanger Cathedral is the oldest in Norway, and used to be the seat of the Bishop of Stavanger, according to Heritage Daily.The report states that the cathedral was built around 1100 BCE by the Bishop Reinald, who was executed by one of the Norweigian kings, Harald IV, after refusing to tell the Viking king where the treasures left behind by his predecessor, Magnus the Blind, were hiding.It was engulfed by flames in 1272 BCE and as a result the cathedral suffered significant damage. It was later rebuilt by a succeeding bishop, incorporating Gothic style architecture.
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